The big story to come from the legislature Monday afternoon was the unveiling of the provincial government’s strategy on climate change.
The Sask Party government had long opposed a carbon tax or cap-on-trade approach to the issue. During Monday’s session, Minister of the Environment Dustin Duncan stood up to outline the government’s made-in-Saskatchewan approach to the issue.
The announcement kicked off what promised to be a historic week in the life of the legislature as the fall session was due to wrap up that week: it was the final sitting for Brad Wall as Premier.
Duncan’s member’s statement, as recorded in Hansard, is as follows.
Hon. Mr. Duncan: —Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in October’s Speech from the Throne, the government committed to introducing further actions to reduce emissions while we continue to oppose a federal carbon tax on Saskatchewan.
Today our government has honoured that commitment with the release of a strategy called Prairie Resilience: A Made-in-Saskatchewan Climate Change Strategy. Today we released a comprehensive, forward-looking climate change strategy designed to make Saskatchewan more ready and more resilient to the impacts of climate change. It is an innovative and flexible approach that includes multiple options for facilities in the province that emit greenhouse gases. The strategy includes new output-based performance standards for large emitting facilities as well as a new offset system and technology fund.
The strategy supports the province and its people by curbing emissions and preparing for changing conditions, all without a tax. A responsible climate change strategy needs to protect our industries and can’t focus on attacks that unfairly burdens a province such as ours, where we rely on natural resources and trade, where we produce food and commodities, and provide technology for the rest of the world.
A responsible climate change strategy also needs to acknowledge that even if we reduce our emissions to zero, global climate change will continue to affect our province. We need to be ready and resilient to the effects of a changing climate, and I want to stress what we mean by resilience and why it’s important.
Resilience is a much stronger indicator of effective climate action than simply measuring reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, because it measures our overall ability to adapt, innovate, and even thrive. Multiple systems need to be strengthened to improve the resilience of the province as a whole. This includes the ability of Saskatchewan’s natural systems, including our land, water, and forests; infrastructure; communities; and economy to adapt and thrive in a changing low carbon economy.
In the strategy you’ll see actions proposed in key areas including natural systems; physical infrastructure; economic sustainability; community preparedness; and measuring, monitoring, and reporting. Each section includes a list of policy commitments that we will further develop and engage stakeholders on. We will implement sector-specific output-based performance standards for facilities that emit more than 25 000 tonnes of emissions per year. In Saskatchewan this includes uranium mines, gas plants, refineries, steel manufacturing, and upstream oil and gas activities.
These facilities will have flexible options, including an offset purchase; a best performance credit; engaging in market mechanisms outlined in the Paris Agreement — specifically, internationally transferred mitigation outcomes; or paying in to a technology fund. A provincial tech fund will be enacted to meet performance standard obligations and provide investment in transformative technologies and innovation.
We will develop and implement an offset system that creates additional value for actions that sequester carbon and reduce emissions, especially from our cropping systems and forest management practices. The offset system is designed to recognize the agricultural community and other land management practices in our province that are already addressing greenhouse gas emissions. These performance standards for large-emitting facilities will be developed in consultation with industry for implementation in early 2019.
In addition, we will continue to work with companies in upstream oil and gas to develop sensible and effective regulations for greenhouse gas emissions, and we appreciate the work that some producers are already pursuing in this regard.
To address emissions from methane produced in oil and gas, policies will be explored to create market demand for this potential resource. These measures are expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from Saskatchewan’s upstream oil and gas industry by 40 to 45 per cent of 2015 levels, or between four and four and a half megatonnes.
Regarding physical infrastructure, we will introduce regulations governing emissions from electricity generation from SaskPower and independent power producers and meet the province’s commitment of up to 50 per cent electrical capacity from renewables by 2030.
We will also implement strategies around transportation and related infrastructure to look for opportunities for fuel efficiency and other impacts. We’ll adopt the National Building Code and National Energy Code, and look for other energy performance measures in homes and buildings. And we will prepare our communities for the effects of climate change with flood plain mapping, preparedness plans, and municipal projects.
We believe the strategy is more thought out, more responsible, more innovative than any carbon pricing plan in Canada, and especially will be more effective than a singular and harmful carbon tax. The strategy we’re releasing today is a made-in-Saskatchewan climate change action plan that meets the needs of our businesses, our residents, our economy, and our environment. Our plan outlines the province’s strategic direction to kick off a new, more comprehensive conversation on how we’re preparing for climate change.
Consultation and engagement will strengthen our ability to implement a plan that meets the needs and characteristics of our province. I know our strategy will make us resilient to the effects of climate change while still addressing emissions in key sectors. And I know this strategy will protect families, the employees, industries, and economies that Saskatchewan relies upon. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The response from opposition critic Cathy Sproule followed.
The Speaker: —I recognize the member from Saskatoon Nutana.
Ms. Sproule: —Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I want to thank the minister for providing his comments in advance so that we could have an opportunity to respond, and certainly my apologies for not using question period because I knew this opportunity was coming at this point in time.
Anyways, Mr. Speaker, until now when we called for this, they said it was itself a carbon tax . . . Oh I’m sorry. Okay. Excuse me, Mr. Speaker; I got my pages mixed up. Okay. When we called for this plan, Mr. Speaker, they said it was a carbon tax. For years from the other side on this issue, their rhetoric has been forceful but their plan has been non-existent. And despite the big announcement today I’m not sure a whole lot has changed.
We do have some concerns, Mr. Speaker. We have seen them present plans before and then refuse to act. And even if they do make it law, there are no clear targets highlighted in this plan. Almost a full decade, years, and a plan without targets is no plan at all.
Whenever they get close to something concrete like the resilience measure, we keep seeing the words, “to be determined.” It seems like the minister himself has no idea if this plan will be enough to protect Saskatchewan from the federal carbon tax. That arrogance is already hurting Saskatchewan people. And shaking fists toward Ottawa may make them feel better, but it’s not enough to stop the federal tax. To truly protect ourselves from the federal carbon tax, we need a truly made-in-Saskatchewan true plan.
Now we’re happy to see that methane was included but, again, there’s no actual plan. It’s also good to see that Saskatchewan people’s homes and buildings were also considered, but these initiatives need to be part of a full, fleshed-out plan.
Mr. Speaker, the members opposite have played a lot of politics with this issue. But now that they’re claiming to have a plan, the problem is it’s actually an announcement without a plan. We need to make sure that it actually protects the air that we breathe, the water we drink, and that it serves the needs of Saskatchewan families. Instead of this assurance, we have “to be determined.” We have no targets and we have no guarantee that it will even protect us from the federal carbon tax.
Now, Mr. Speaker, I am glad that the minister finally made an announcement of some kind, and I applaud that. It’s a first step from a party that has, until now, preferred to scream from the sidelines. But now we look forward to seeing the details from this announcement, getting them laid out, hearing from stakeholders. And I hope the minister and the members opposite see this as a starting point. And I hope they’re open to building on what they announced today and working with us and the experts to build something that we can truly call both made-in-Saskatchewan and a solution.
